U.S. patent application number 10/246192 was filed with the patent office on 2003-04-03 for postprocessing apparatus and image forming system.
Invention is credited to Fukuda, Kazuaki, Hirota, Kazuhiro, Hosoya, Hisao, Kanazawa, Yuji, Nagaoka, Tomoki, Ohashi, Hideyo, Omi, Kazuyoshi.
Application Number | 20030062666 10/246192 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 19109651 |
Filed Date | 2003-04-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030062666 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Hosoya, Hisao ; et
al. |
April 3, 2003 |
Postprocessing apparatus and image forming system
Abstract
A postprocessing apparatus stops and positions an image
recording sheet delivered from an image forming apparatus at a
predetermined position, punches the sheet with a punching unit, and
thereafter folds the sheet with a folding unit.
Inventors: |
Hosoya, Hisao; (Tokyo,
JP) ; Hirota, Kazuhiro; (Tokyo, JP) ; Omi,
Kazuyoshi; (Kawagoe-shi, JP) ; Fukuda, Kazuaki;
(Kawagoe-shi, JP) ; Kanazawa, Yuji; (Tokyo,
JP) ; Ohashi, Hideyo; (Saitama-ken, JP) ;
Nagaoka, Tomoki; (Tokyo, JP) |
Correspondence
Address: |
MUSERLIAN AND LUCAS AND MERCANTI, LLP
600 THIRD AVENUE
NEW YORK
NY
10016
US
|
Family ID: |
19109651 |
Appl. No.: |
10/246192 |
Filed: |
September 18, 2002 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
270/58.07 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65H 45/14 20130101;
Y10T 83/9387 20150401; Y10T 83/9423 20150401; B65H 2701/1829
20130101; B65H 2301/164 20130101; B65H 2301/1635 20130101; B65H
2301/163 20130101; B42C 1/12 20130101; B65H 2301/5152 20130101;
B65H 45/18 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
270/58.07 |
International
Class: |
B65H 033/04 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Sep 20, 2001 |
JP |
2001-286725 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A postprocessing apparatus which stops and positions an image
recording sheet, delivered from an image forming apparatus, at a
predetermined position, punches the sheet with punching means, and
folds the sheet with folding means.
2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said apparatus
comprises feeding means for storing and feeding a sheet different
from the image recording sheet, and punches the sheet fed from the
feeding means at a predetermined position with control means.
3. A postprocessing apparatus comprising: a first postprocessing
apparatus formed of first punching means for performing a punching
process at a predetermined position of an image recording sheet
delivered from an image forming apparatus, and first folding means
for folding the punched sheet; and a second postprocessing
apparatus formed of delivery means for introducing and delivering
the sheet punched and folded by said first postprocessing
apparatus, feeding means for storing and feeding a sheet other than
the image recording sheet, and second punching means for performing
a punching process at a predetermined position of the sheet fed
from said feeding means.
4. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said second
postprocessing apparatus comprises second folding means for folding
the punched sheet.
5. An image forming system comprising an image forming apparatus
formed of image writing means, image forming means, and sheet
convey means, and the postprocessing apparatus according to claim
1.
6. An image forming system comprising an image forming apparatus
formed of image writing means, image forming means, and sheet
convey means, and the postprocessing apparatus according to claim
2.
7. An image forming system comprising an image forming apparatus
formed of image writing means, image forming means, and sheet
convey means, and the postprocessing apparatus according to claim
3.
8. An image forming system comprising an image forming apparatus
formed of image writing means, image forming means, and sheet
convey means, and the postprocessing apparatus according to claim
4.
9. A postprocessing apparatus having: punching means for forming,
by a punching process, a hole for sheet filing at a predetermined
position of one sheet conveyed by sheet convey means; stitching
means, arranged downstream of said punching means in a sheet convey
direction, and capable of performing two stitching processes
including an end stitching process of stitching a sheet at the
vicinity of a side end thereof and a saddle stitching process of
stitching a sheet at a center thereof in the convey direction;
folding means, arranged downstream of said stitching means in the
sheet convey direction, and capable of performing a two-fold
process of folding the sheet at a center thereof in the convey
direction and a three-fold process of forming two folds on the
sheet to be parallel to the convey direction; and control means for
selectively controlling the punching process, the end stitching
process, the saddle stitching process, the two-fold process, and
the three-fold process in accordance with a selection signal that
selects either one of the processes.
10. A postprocessing apparatus having stitching means, which is
capable of performing two stitching processes including an end
stitching process of stitching a sheet conveyed by sheet convey
means at the vicinity of a side end thereof and a saddle stitching
process of stitching a sheet at a center thereof in a convey
direction, and folding means, arranged downstream of said stitching
means in the sheet convey direction, and capable of performing a
two-fold process of folding the sheet at the center thereof in the
convey direction and a three-fold process of forming two folds on
the sheet to be parallel to the convey direction, wherein a sheet
bundle forming portion formed of said stitching means and said
folding means is mounted on one flat plate-like frame, and said
stitching means, said folding means, and the frame are formed into
one unit, and the unit is mounted on a postprocessing apparatus
main body to be withdrawable therefrom.
11. A postprocessing apparatus having: punching means for forming,
by a punching process, a hole for sheet filing at a predetermined
position of one sheet conveyed by sheet convey means; two-stage
feeding means, arranged on an upper portion of a postprocessing
apparatus main body, and capable of feeding two types of sheets to
an upstream side of said punching means; stitching means, arranged
downstream of said punching means in a sheet convey direction, and
capable of performing two stitching processes including an end
stitching process of stitching a sheet at the vicinity of a side
end thereof and a saddle stitching process of stitching a sheet at
a center thereof in the convey direction; folding means, arranged
downstream of said stitching means in the sheet convey direction,
and capable of performing a two-fold process of folding the sheet
at the center thereof in the convey direction and a three-fold
process of forming two folds on the sheet to be parallel to the
convey direction; shift means, arranged downstream of said punching
means in the sheet convey direction, for shifting the sheet in a
direction perpendicular to the convey direction; sheet branching
means, provided downstream of said punching means in the sheet
convey direction, and capable of conveying a sheet that has passed
through said punching means, by selecting either one of a sheet
bundle forming portion formed of said stitching means and said
folding means, and said shift means; and control means for
selectively controlling a sheet feeding process, the punching
process, the stitching process, the folding processes, a shift
process, and a branching process in accordance with a selection
signal that selects either one of the processes.
12. An apparatus according to any one of claim 9, wherein the
three-fold process includes an inward folding process and a Z-fold
process.
13. An apparatus according to any one of claim 10, wherein the
three-fold process includes an inward folding process and a Z-fold
process.
14. An apparatus according to any one of claim 11, wherein the
three-fold process includes an inward folding process and a Z-fold
process.
15. An image forming system comprising an image forming apparatus
main body formed of image writing means, image forming means, and
sheet convey means, and the postprocessing apparatus according to
claim 9.
16. An image forming system comprising an image forming apparatus
main body formed of image writing means, image forming means, and
sheet convey means, and the postprocessing apparatus according to
claim 10.
17. An image forming system comprising an image forming apparatus
main body formed of image writing means, image forming means, and
sheet convey means, and the postprocessing apparatus according to
claim 11.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a postprocessing apparatus
(also called a finisher) which subjects a sheet where an image is
formed by an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a
printer, a facsimile apparatus, or a composite machine of them, to
a punching process, a two-fold process, a Z-fold process, a
stitching process, and the like, and an image forming system which
has this postprocessing apparatus.
[0003] 2. Description of Related Art
[0004] In recent years, there have been provided a postprocessing
apparatus which subjects a sheet where an image is formed by an
image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile
apparatus, or a composite machine of them, to a punching process, a
two-fold process, and a Z-fold process, to enable file stitching,
and an image forming system which is obtained by adding an image
forming apparatus to this postprocessing apparatus.
[0005] A postprocessing apparatus which subjects a bundle of
sheets, that form one set with a plurality of sheets, to a saddle
stitching process is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent
Publication Nos. 6-72064, 7-187479, 8-192951, and the like.
[0006] A postprocessing apparatus which enables center folding is
proposed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Nos. 7-48062,
10-148983, 10-167562, and 11-348451, U.S. Pat. No. 5,108,082, and
the like.
[0007] A processing apparatus which subjects a sheet to a folding
process is popular in the field of bookbinding. A processing
apparatus which folds one or a comparatively small number of sheets
is popular as an apparatus for forming a sealed document such as a
postal matter.
[0008] A punching apparatus described in Japanese Unexamined Patent
Publication No. 6-182697 is provided midway along the sheet convey
path of a sorter that sorts sheets delivered from an image forming
apparatus.
[0009] A bookbinding apparatus described in Japanese Unexamined
Patent Publication No. 8-319054 has a punching means for forming
string binding holes in a sheet by a punching process. The punching
means is provided midway along the sheet convey path of the
bookbinding apparatus which binds a plurality of sheets, delivered
from the delivery portion of a copying machine, in a stacked
state.
[0010] A folding apparatus for subjecting a sheet to a folding
process such as a Z-fold process or the like is disclosed in
Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. 62-68973,
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 4-64577, and the
like.
[0011] A sheet postprocessing apparatus which enables folding in
two is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Nos.
10-148983 and 10-167562.
[0012] Any conventional folding apparatus is a large, expensive one
which aims at processing a large number of sheets at a high
speed.
[0013] In addition to a large number of uniform documents, many
documents need to be handled differently in a comparatively small
unit. Among documents to be sealed such as direct mail, documents
which bear different information such as addresses, e.g., slips,
need folding. In this case, the different documents must be
manually sorted before or after they are subjected to a folding
apparatus.
[0014] In this manner, the conventional apparatus which uniformly
processes a large number of documents cannot improve the overall
efficiency.
[0015] The conventional postprocessing apparatus has a center
folding portion and three-fold portion that are separate from each
other, to complicate the structure that forms different sheet
convey paths. Particularly in a structure in which the different
sheet convey paths are bent, jamming tends to occur easily.
[0016] Furthermore, in the conventional postprocessing apparatus
which performs punching, folding into a Z shape, and folding in
two, punching is performed after an image recording sheet delivered
from an image forming apparatus is folded. The fold of a folded
sheet is not always parallel to the leading end or trailing end of
the sheet in the convey direction, but is sometimes skew from it.
If the skew sheet is punched with reference to its fold for
abutment, holes are not formed at predetermined positions of the
sheet. When sheets each punched in this manner are filed, a
plurality of sheets become unaligned.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0017] The present invention has been made to solve the above
problems of the conventional related technique, and has as its
object to provide a compact, multi-functional postprocessing
apparatus which can cope with a variety of purposes flexibly so
that it can form a folded document at a high efficiency as a whole,
and an image forming apparatus having a sheet postprocessing
apparatus.
[0018] It is another object of the present invention to provide a
postprocessing apparatus which forms, by a punching process, a hole
at a predetermined position of a sheet correctly, and an image
forming system comprised of the postprocessing apparatus and an
image forming apparatus.
[0019] (1) In order to achieve the above objects, according to a
first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a
postprocessing apparatus comprising: punching means for forming, by
a punching process, a hole for sheet filing at a predetermined
position of one sheet conveyed by sheet convey means; stitching
means, arranged downstream of the punching means in a sheet convey
direction, and capable of performing two stitching processes
including an end stitching process of stitching a sheet at the
vicinity of a side end thereof and a saddle stitching process of
stitching a sheet at a center thereof in the convey direction;
folding means, arranged downstream of the stitching means in the
sheet convey direction, and capable of performing a two-fold
process of folding the sheet at a center thereof in the convey
direction and a three-fold process of forming two folds on the
sheet to be parallel to the convey direction; and control means for
selectively controlling the punching process, the end stitching
process, the saddle stitching process, the two-fold process, and
the three-fold process in accordance with a selection signal that
selects either one of the processes.
[0020] (2) In order to achieve the above objects, according to a
second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a
postprocessing apparatus comprising stitching means which is
capable of performing two stitching processes including an end
stitching process of stitching a sheet conveyed by sheet convey
means at the vicinity of a side end thereof and a saddle stitching
process of stitching a sheet at a center thereof in a convey
direction, and folding means, arranged downstream of the stitching
means in the sheet convey direction, and capable of performing a
two-fold process of folding the sheet at the center thereof in the
convey direction and a three-fold process of forming two folds on
the sheet to be parallel to the convey direction, wherein a sheet
bundle forming portion formed of the stitching means and the
folding means is mounted on one flat plate-like frame, the
stitching means, the folding means, and the frame are formed into
one unit, and the unit is mounted on a postprocessing apparatus
main body to be withdrawable therefrom.
[0021] (3) In order to achieve the above objects, according to a
third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a
postprocessing apparatus comprising: punching means for forming, by
a punching process, a hole for sheet filing at a predetermined
position of one sheet conveyed by sheet convey means; two-stage
feeding means, arranged on an upper portion of a postprocessing
apparatus main body, and capable of feeding two types of sheets to
an upstream side of the punching means; stitching means, arranged
downstream of the punching means in a sheet convey direction, and
capable of performing two stitching processes including an end
stitching process of stitching a sheet at the vicinity of a side
end thereof and a saddle stitching process of stitching a sheet at
a center thereof in the convey direction; folding means, arranged
downstream of the stitching means in the sheet convey direction,
and capable of performing a two-fold process of folding the sheet
at the center thereof in the convey direction and a three-fold
process of forming two folds on the sheet to be parallel to the
convey direction; shift means, arranged downstream of the punching
means in the sheet convey direction, for shifting the sheet in a
direction perpendicular to the convey direction; sheet branching
means, arranged downstream of the punching means in the sheet
convey direction, for selecting either one of a sheet bundle
forming portion formed of the stitching means and the folding
means, and the shift means, so a sheet that has passed through the
punching means can be conveyed, and control means for selectively
controlling a sheet feeding process, the punching process, the
stitching process, the folding processes, a shift process, and a
branching process in accordance with a selection signal that
selects either one of the processes.
[0022] (4) In order to achieve the above objects, according to a
fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a
postprocessing apparatus which stops and positions an image
recording sheet, delivered from an image forming apparatus, at a
predetermined position, punches the sheet with punching means, and
folds the sheet with folding means.
[0023] (5) In order to achieve the above objects, according to a
fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a
postprocessing apparatus comprising: a first postprocessing
apparatus formed of first punching means for performing a punching
process at a predetermined position of an image recording sheet
delivered from an image forming apparatus, and first folding means
for folding the punched sheet; and a second postprocessing
apparatus formed of delivery means for introducing and delivering
the sheet punched and folded by the first postprocessing apparatus,
feeding means for storing and feeding a sheet other than the image
recording sheet, and second punching means for performing a
punching process at a predetermined position of the sheet fed from
the feeding means.
[0024] (6) In order to achieve the above objects, according to a
sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image
forming system comprising an image forming apparatus formed of
image writing means, image forming means, and sheet convey means,
and the postprocessing apparatus according to any one of above
items (1) to (5).
[0025] According to the first aspect of item (1), the punching
means, stitching means, folding means, and sheet convey path are
simply arranged and downsized. Therefore, an image forming
apparatus comprising a postprocessing apparatus having these means
can be made compact while having a function of folding in two and a
function of folding in three.
[0026] According to the second aspect of item (2), the stitching
means, folding means, and sheet convey path are arranged on a flat
plate-like frame which is arranged with a steep inclination, thus
forming a detachable unit. Therefore, troubleshooting of sheet
convey, inspection of a trouble, maintenance, and the like in the
stitching means and folding means can be performed easily.
[0027] According to the third aspect of item (3), the two-stage
feeding means, punching means, stitching means, folding means,
shift means, delivery means, and branching means are arranged in
the postprocessing apparatus efficiently. Therefore, the
postprocess can be performed at a high speed with a compact
arrangement.
[0028] According to the fourth aspect of item (4), a sheet, the
leading end of which is aligned, is conveyed as it is clamped by
registration rollers, and after that it is punched before being
folded. Therefore, the punching position precision can be improved
regardless of the folding state or folding precision.
[0029] According to the fifth aspect of item (3), a desired digital
process is performed by using an image forming apparatus such as a
copying machine, a printer, a facsimile apparatus, or a composite
machine of them. After image formation, the delivered sheet is
punched and folded into a Z shape quickly and accurately by the
print-on-demand (POD) type postprocessing apparatus of the present
invention.
[0030] According to the sixth aspect of item (6), the
postprocessing apparatus connected to the image forming apparatus
such as a copying machine, a printer, or the like performs a
desired digital process with an image forming apparatus main body.
Processes such as single-side printing, double-side printing, page
compilation, and the like are performed. A sheet delivered after
fixing is subjected to processes such as sheet convey, punching,
shifting, end stitching, side stitching, saddle stitching, center
folding, folding in three, and the like correctly and efficiently
at a high speed by the postprocessing apparatus of the present
invention. The sheet which is processed at a high speed by the
image forming apparatus main body and delivered is postprocessed by
the postprocessing apparatus of the present invention at a high
speed with a high productivity.
[0031] The above and many other objects, features and advantages of
the present invention will become manifest to those skilled in the
art upon making reference to the following detailed description and
accompanying drawings in which preferred embodiments incorporating
the principle of the present invention are shown by way of
illustrative examples.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0032] FIG. 1 is a view showing the overall arrangement of an image
forming system comprised of an image forming apparatus, first
postprocessing apparatus, second postprocessing apparatus, and
image reading apparatus;
[0033] FIGS. 2A to 2C are plan views showing different types of
sheets punched by first or second punching means;
[0034] FIG. 3A is a plan view of a punched sheet before it is
folded into a Z shape, and FIG. 3B is a perspective view of the
sheet which is folded into a Z shape;
[0035] FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing the arrangement and sheet
convey path of the first postprocessing apparatus;
[0036] FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a sheet convey path in
the second postprocessing apparatus;
[0037] FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a second punching means, shift
means, and delivery means arranged in the second postprocessing
apparatus;
[0038] FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a stitching unit formed of a
stitching means and folding means;
[0039] FIGS. 8A and 8B are plan views of a side stitching process
and end stitching process, respectively;
[0040] FIG. 9 is a front view of the folding means;
[0041] FIGS. 10A to 10C are sectional views showing the steps in
the two-fold process of the folding means;
[0042] FIG. 11 is a schematic view showing the convey paths of
cover paper and of sheets, the process of saddle stitching a bundle
of sheets, and the process of folding it in two;
[0043] FIG. 12A is a plan view of saddle-stitched sheets, FIG. 12B
is a perspective view of a booklet postprocessed by saddle
stitching and folding in two, FIG. 12C is a perspective view
showing a state wherein the postprocessed booklet is opened apart,
and FIG. 12D is a schematic sectional view of the booklet;
[0044] FIG. 13A is a plan view of a sheet to be folded in three,
FIG. 13B is a perspective view of the sheet folded in three, and
FIG. 13C is a perspective view of a sheet folded in three to have a
Z shape;
[0045] FIGS. 14 to 18 are sectional views showing the steps in the
three-fold process;
[0046] FIG. 19 is a sectional view showing a folding means
according to another embodiment; and
[0047] FIG. 20 shows the overall arrangement of an image forming
system according to another embodiment, which is comprised of an
image forming apparatus, first postprocessing apparatus, second
postprocessing apparatus, and image reading apparatus.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0048] A postprocessing apparatus according to the present
invention, and an image forming system having the postprocessing
apparatus will be described with reference to the accompanying
drawings.
[0049] (1) Image Forming System:
[0050] The image forming system according to the present invention
is comprised of an image forming apparatus A, first postprocessing
apparatus B, second postprocessing apparatus C, and image reading
apparatus D, as shown in FIG. 1.
[0051] The image reading apparatus D having an automatic document
feeder which reads an original while moving it is set on the upper
portion of the image forming apparatus A.
[0052] A sheet S loaded in the first postprocessing apparatus B is
processed in accordance with at least selected one of punching,
folding into a Z shape, and the like, and is supplied into the
second postprocessing apparatus C.
[0053] The first postprocessing apparatus B is comprised of an
inlet 10, first punching means 20, first holding means 30, and
delivery means 40.
[0054] The sheet S punched and folded by the first postprocessing
apparatus B, or the sheet S which is delivered from the image
forming apparatus A and passes through the first postprocessing
apparatus B without being subjected to these postprocesses, is
delivered from the delivery means 40 and loaded through an inlet 50
of the second postprocessing apparatus C adjacent to the first
postprocessing apparatus B.
[0055] A first feeder 51, second feeder 52, second punching means
60, stitching means 70, second folding means 80, shift means 90,
delivery means 91, vertically movable delivery table 92, upper
delivery table 93, lower delivery table 94, and the like are
arranged in the second postprocessing apparatus C.
[0056] FIGS. 2A to 2C are plan views showing different types of
sheets punched by first or second punching means 20 or 60. FIG. 2A
shows an example in which holes h are formed at two portions in the
vicinity of an end side a of the sheet S (two-hole file). FIG. 2B
shows an example in which holes h are formed at three portions
(three-hole file). FIG. 2C shows an example in which holes h are
formed at four portions (four-hole file).
[0057] The interval of the plurality of holes h is standardized. A
punched end face distance b from the end side a of the sheet S to
the holes h can be arbitrarily set and is generally 9 mm to 11
mm.
[0058] FIG. 3A is a plan view of a punched sheet before it is
folded into a Z shape, in which broken lines c and d respectively
indicate the first and second folds, and reference symbols h denote
holes formed by punching.
[0059] FIG. 3B is a perspective view of a sheet which is folded
into a Z shape. The sheet S folded into a Z shape by the first
postprocessing apparatus B is folded to form the first and second
folds c and d.
[0060] The image forming apparatus A, first postprocessing
apparatus B, and second postprocessing apparatus C which form the
image forming system according to the present invention will be
sequentially described in detail. As the image reading apparatus D,
a conventional one is used, and a detailed description thereof will
accordingly be omitted.
[0061] (2) Image Forming Apparatus A:
[0062] As shown in FIG. 1, in the image forming apparatus A, a
charging means 2, image exposing means (write means) 3, developing
means 4, transfer means 5A, discharging means 5B, separating pawl
5C, and cleaning means 5D are arranged around a rotatable image
carrier (photosensitive body) 1 to form an image forming portion.
The surface of the image carrier 1 is uniformly charged by the
charging means 2. After that, the surface of the image carrier 1 is
exposed and scanned by a laser beam from the image exposing means 3
on the basis of image data read from the original, thus forming a
latent image. The latent image is converted and developed by the
developing means 4, thus forming a toner image on the surface of
the image carrier 1.
[0063] An image recording sheet (to be referred to as sheet
hereinafter) S fed from a feeding means 6A is sent to a transfer
position through an intermediate feeder 6B. At the transfer
position, the toner image is transferred onto the sheet S by the
transfer means 5A. After that, charges on the lower surface of the
sheet S are erased by the discharging means 5B. The sheet S is
separated from the image carrier 1 by the separating pawl 5C, is
conveyed by a convey means 7A, is successively heated and fixed by
a fixing means 8, and is delivered by a delivery means 7C.
[0064] When forming images on the two surfaces of the sheet S, the
sheet S heated and fixed by the fixing means 8 is branched from the
ordinary delivery path by a convey path switching plate 7B, is
switched back and converted upside down by a converting convey
means 7D, and is delivered outside the apparatus by the delivery
means 7C. The sheet S delivered from the delivery means 7C is sent
to the inlet 10 of the first postprocessing apparatus B.
[0065] A developing agent remaining on the surface of the image
carrier 1 after image processing is removed by the cleaning means
5D downstream of the separating pawl 5C, so the image carrier 1
prepares for the next image formation.
[0066] An operating portion 9 where an image formation mode and
sheet postprocessing mode are selectively set is arranged on the
front surface of the upper portion of the image forming apparatus
A.
[0067] (3) First Postprocessing Apparatus B:
[0068] The arrangement and operation of the first postprocessing
apparatus B will be described with reference to FIG. 4.
[0069] The sheet S delivered from the delivery means 7C of the
image forming apparatus A is introduced to the inlet 10 of the
first postprocessing apparatus B. At the inlet 10 that forms a
sheet entering portion, an inlet guide plate 11 biased in one
direction by a spring 12 is swingably supported by the apparatus
main body.
[0070] A sensor PS1 for detecting that the leading or trailing end
of the sheet S has passed through it is arranged downstream of the
inlet 10 in the sheet convey direction. The first punching means 20
is arranged further downstream of the sensor PS1.
[0071] A pair of registration rollers 31A and 31B are provided
downstream of the first punching means 20 in the sheet convey
direction. A pair of intermediate convey rollers 33A and 33B and a
switching means 34 for switching the convey direction are provided
to a first convey path {circle over (1)} formed of a pair of guide
plates 32. The switching means 34 is swung by a solenoid SD1.
[0072] A pair of first folding rollers 35A and 35B which press
against each other, and a second folding roller 35C pressed against
by one first folding roller 35B are provided downstream of the
first convey path {circle over (1)}. The surfaces of the first
folding rollers 35A and 35B and second folding roller 35C are made
of a material with a high frictional resistance, e.g., rubber.
[0073] A pair of guide plates 36 provided on the two sides of the
sheet S in the direction of thickness form a second convey path
{circle over (2)} on an extension of the first convey path {circle
over (1)}. A first stopping means 37 is arranged in the vicinity of
the second convey path {circle over (2)} on the downstream in the
convey direction.
[0074] The first stopping means 37 has a pivotal endless belt 37C
wound around a driving pulley 37A and driven pulley 37B, and an
abutting portion 37D fixed to one portion of the endless belt 37C
and projectable toward the outer surface of the endless belt
37C.
[0075] The abutting portion 37D is driven together with the endless
belt 37C by a stepping motor M1, and is moved to a selected
position among a plurality of predetermined positions in accordance
with the size of the sheet S to be processed in the sheet convey
direction. After that, the abutting portion 37D is stopped.
[0076] The abutting portion 37D is provided at two portions in the
sheet widthwise direction perpendicular to the sheet convey
direction. Hence, the abutting portions 37D hold the leading end of
the sheet S to be perpendicular to the traveling direction, and the
sheet S accurately abuts against the abutting portions 37D.
[0077] The first folding rollers 35A and 35B, guide plates 36,
first stopping means 37, and stepping motor M1 form the first sheet
folding portion.
[0078] The sheet S which has passed through the first convey path
{circle over (1)} and entered the second convey path {circle over
(2)} is continuously conveyed by the intermediate convey rollers
33A and 33B even after its leading end is abutted against by the
abutting portion 37D. Hence, the sheet S slacks. The slacking
portion of the sheet S is caught between the first folding rollers
35A and 35B, so it forms a first fold c.
[0079] Furthermore, guide plates 38 provided on the two sides of
the direction of thickness of the sheet S form a third convey path
{circle over (3)} downstream of the first folding rollers 35A and
35B in the convey direction.
[0080] Similarly to the first stopping means 37, a second stopping
means 39, against which the first fold c of the sheet S as the
leading end abuts, thus stopping the sheet S, is provided to the
third convey path {circle over (3)} to be movable in the sheet
convey direction. The second stopping means 39 is formed of a
driving pulley 39A, driven pulley 39B, endless belt 39C, abutting
portion 39D, and stepping motor M2.
[0081] The sheet S, which is folded by the first folding rollers
35A and 35B and conveyed, abuts against the abutting portion 39D of
the second stopping means 39 with its first fold c as the leading
end, and is flexed again, so it is caught between one first folding
roller 35B and the second folding roller 35C, thus forming a second
fold d.
[0082] A pair of guide plates 351 are provided downstream of the
clamping position of the second folding roller 35C and a driven
roller 35D. The guide plates 351 form a fourth convey path {circle
over (4)} which serves to deliver the folded sheet S. The fourth
convey path {circle over (4)} merges with the third convey path
{circle over (3)} on its downstream side, and continues to the
second stopping means 39 and then to the delivery means 40. The
delivery means 40 is formed of a delivery path 41 and a pair of
delivery rollers 42A and 42B.
[0083] The processing operation of the first postprocessing
apparatus B with the above arrangement, that is, the processes of
simple sheet passing, punching, folding in two, and folding into a
Z shape will be described.
[0084] (3-1) Simple Sheet Passing Process:
[0085] The switching means 34 provided to the first postprocessing
apparatus B is rotated by the solenoid SD1 counterclockwise as
shown in FIG. 4. The sheet S is conveyed from the inlet 10 by the
registration rollers 31A and 31B, is guided to the delivery path 41
of the delivery means 40 by the switching means 34, is clamped by
the delivery rollers 42A and 42B, and is conveyed to the second
postprocessing apparatus C.
[0086] (3-2) Punching Process:
[0087] To punch a sheet which is short in the convey direction,
e.g., a sheet S of A4 size or smaller than that, the sheet S
introduced to the inlet 10 is conveyed by the registration rollers
31A and 31B and delivery rollers 42A and 42B for a predetermined
length, and is temporarily stopped. The sheet S is then punched at
a predetermined position by the first punching means 20, and is
conveyed by the registration rollers 31A and 31B and delivery
rollers 42A and 42B, so it is fed into the second postprocessing
apparatus C.
[0088] To punch a sheet which is long in the convey direction,
e.g., a sheet S of A4R or B4 size or larger than that at the
vicinity of its trailing end, first, the switching means 34 is
swung by the solenoid SD1, and a movable guide member 350 swingably
supported in the vicinity of the first folding roller 35A is swung
counterclockwise by a solenoid SD2, to close the second convey path
{circle over (2)}. After this convey path is formed, the sheet S is
conveyed by the registration rollers 31A and 31B. First, the sheet
S is loaded into the first convey path {circle over (1)}, is
conveyed by the intermediate convey rollers 33A and 33B, and is
further guided by the movable guide member 350 to enter the
clamping position of the first folding rollers 35A and 35B by
rotation of the first folding rollers 35A and 35B in directions of
arrows. In the mode of punching the sheet at its trailing end, the
stepping motor M2 is actuated to move the second stopping means 39,
thereby retreating the second stopping means 39 from the third
convey path {circle over (3)}.
[0089] When the trailing end of the sheet S which is being conveyed
through the third convey path {circle over (3)} and delivery path
41 reaches the first punching means 20, the first folding rollers
35A and 35B, registration rollers 31A and 31B, and intermediate
convey rollers 33A and 33B are stopped. The first punching means 20
is actuated to punch the sheet S at a predetermined position. Then,
these rollers are rotated simultaneously to convey the sheet S. The
sheet S is sent to the second postprocessing apparatus C by the
delivery rollers 42A and 42B.
[0090] (3-3) Folding Process:
[0091] A folding mode and a sheet size are set, so the stepping
motors M1 and M2 are driven by a control means (not shown) in
accordance with the size information on the sheet S, to move the
first and second stopping means 37 and 39 to positions
corresponding to the sheet size. Furthermore, the switching means
34 is rotated to close the delivery path 41.
[0092] Upon start of the folding process, the sheet S sent from the
image forming apparatus A is clamped by the registration rollers
31A and 31B and intermediate convey rollers 33A and 33B, and is
conveyed through the first convey path {circle over (1)}. The sheet
S then further enters the second convey path {circle over (2)}
formed of the guide plates 36, so its leading end abuts against the
abutting portion 37D of the first stopping means 37.
[0093] The intermediate convey rollers 33A and 33B continue
rotation to forcibly convey the sheet S toward the first stopping
means 37. Since the leading end of the sheet S is kept stopped by
the abutting portion 37D, a flexing force acts on the sheet S
between the first and second convey paths {circle over (1)} and
{circle over (2)}. As a guide plate 352 is arranged on the right
side shown in FIG. 4, the sheet S flexes toward the clamping
position of the first folding rollers 35A and 35B, and the flexed
portion of the sheet S enters the clamping position formed between
the first folding rollers 35A and 35B. As the first folding rollers
35A and 35B rotate in the directions of arrows, the sheet S is
conveyed while forming a first fold c.
[0094] Subsequently, the sheet S, on which the first fold c has
been formed by the first folding rollers 35A and 35B, is conveyed,
with its first fold c being the leading end, by the first folding
rollers 35A and 35B through the third convey path {circle over (3)}
formed by the guide plates 38. The sheet S is stopped when its
first fold c abuts against the abutting portion 39D of the second
stopping means 39.
[0095] During this period of time, the first folding rollers 35A
and 35B continue rotation. Hence, a flexing force acts on the sheet
S between the first folding rollers 35A and 35B and the abutting
portion 39D of the second stopping means 39. Guide portions 38A of
the guide plates 38 prohibit the sheet S from flexing downward.
Thus, the sheet S enters the clamping position formed between the
first and second folding rollers 35B and 35C.
[0096] As the first folding roller 35B and second folding roller
35C rotate in the directions of arrows, the flexed portion of the
sheet S is conveyed to between them, so the sheet S is conveyed
while forming a second fold d.
[0097] The sheet S, on which the first and second folds c and d
have been formed, travels along the third convey path {circle over
(3)} in the opposite direction due to the convey force caused by
the first and second folding rollers 35B and 35C that press against
each other, so its first fold c separates from the abutting portion
39D of the second stopping means 39. The stepping motor M2 starts
driving upon reception of a signal from a sensor (not shown) that
detects passing of the first fold c. When the stepping motor M2 is
actuated, the abutting portion 39D of the second stopping means 39
moves to the lower side of the convey path to retreat from the
third convey path {circle over (3)} and the fourth convey path
{circle over (4)} (to be described later) which merges with it.
[0098] The sheet S folded in three is conveyed in this manner by
the guide plates 351 and driven roller 35D along the outer surface
of the second folding roller 35C, and travels downward along the
fourth convey path {circle over (4)}. The sheet S then passes
through the delivery path 41 and is sent to the second
postprocessing apparatus C by the delivery rollers 42A and 42B with
its second fold d being the leading end.
[0099] An example of the folding process of folding the sheet S in
three to have a Z shape shown in FIG. 3B has been described so far.
In the folding process of folding the sheet S in two, the first
stopping means 37 is moved to the position for folding in two.
After a sensor PS3 detects that the first fold c has passed through
it, the abutting portion 39D driven by the stepping motor M2
retreats the second stopping means 39 to a position where it does
not interfere with the convey path. Then, the sheet S is folded by
the first folding rollers 35A and 35B. After that, the sheet S
which is folded in two is delivered from the third convey path
{circle over (3)} to the second postprocessing apparatus C through
the delivery path 41.
[0100] In the second convey path {circle over (2)} located upstream
of the clamping position of the first folding rollers 35A and 35B,
the sheet S is conveyed with a thickness corresponding to one
sheet. In the third convey path {circle over (3)} located
downstream of the first folding rollers 35A and 35B, the sheet S is
conveyed with a thickness corresponding to two sheets. In the
fourth convey path {circle over (4)} located downstream of the
clamping position of the first folding roller 35B and second
folding roller 35C, the sheet S is conveyed with a thickness
corresponding to three sheets.
[0101] (4) Second Postprocessing Apparatus:
[0102] The second postprocessing apparatus C according to the
present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to
19.
[0103] As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, in the second postprocessing
apparatus C, the first feeder 51, second feeder 52, and upper
delivery table 93 are arranged at the upper stage. The second
punching means 60, shift means 90, and delivery means 91 are
arranged in series at the intermediate stage to form one
substantially horizontal plane. The stitching means (staple means)
70 and second folding means 80 are arranged in series at the lower
stage to form one inclined plane.
[0104] The vertically movable delivery table 92 for stacking
shifted sheets and a bundle of end-bound sheets thereon, and the
lower delivery table 94 for stacking a bundle of sheets folded in
three or two are arranged on the left side surface, in FIGS. 5 and
6, of the second postprocessing apparatus C.
[0105] The sheet S which is punched and folded by the first
postprocessing apparatus B is introduced to the inlet 50 of the
second postprocessing apparatus C. Insert paper J, which is
supplied from the first feeder 51 set on the upper portion of the
second postprocessing apparatus C to divide the bundle of sheets,
and cover paper K, which is supplied from the second feeder 52, are
introduced to the inlet 50. A sensor PS2 for detecting that the
leading end of the sheet S has passed through it is arranged in the
vicinity of the inlet 10.
[0106] The respective means of the second postprocessing apparatus
C, their operations, and the respective processes will be described
hereinafter.
[0107] (4-1) Feed Means:
[0108] As is apparent from FIG. 5, the insert paper J stored in the
sheet tray of the first feeder 51 is separated and fed by feed
rollers 511 and then clamped by convey rollers 512, 513, and 514 so
it is introduced to the inlet 50. The cover paper K stored in the
sheet tray of the second feeder 52 is separated and fed by feed
rollers 521 and then clamped by the convey rollers 513 and 514 so
it is introduced to the inlet 50.
[0109] (4-2) Second Punching Means
[0110] As shown in FIG. 6, the second punching means 60 is arranged
downstream of the inlet 50 in the sheet convey direction. The
second punching means 60 has a circular plate 61 rotatably driven
by a motor M3 as the driving source, a crank 62 with one end locked
to the eccentric position of the circular plate 61, a punch 63
vertically driven by the crank 62, and a die 64 to fit with the
blade of the punch 63. Registration rollers 65 are arranged
upstream of the punching position of the punch 63 and die 64 in the
sheet convey direction. Convey rollers 66 are arranged downstream
of the punching position in the sheet convey direction.
[0111] (4-3) Sheet Branching Means:
[0112] As is apparent from FIG. 6, a sheet branching means
comprised of switching gates G1 and G2 is formed downstream of the
second punching means 60 in the sheet convey direction. The
switching gates G1 and G2 selectively branch the sheet S to sheet
convey paths in three directions by the driving operation of a
solenoid (not shown), that is, to either one of a first convey path
F1 reaching the upper delivery table 93, a second convey path F2
reaching the shift means 90 of the intermediate stage, and a third
convey path F3 reaching the stitching means 70 of the lower
stage.
[0113] (4-4) Simple Delivery Process:
[0114] When this sheet convey is set, the switching gate G1 opens
only the first convey path F1 and closes the other second and third
convey paths F2 and F3.
[0115] The sheets S passing through the first convey path F1 move
upward as they are clamped by convey rollers 931, are delivered by
a delivery roller 932, and are placed on the upper delivery table
93, so they are sequentially stacked on it. When punching the sheet
S, the second punching means 60 is actuated. About 200 sheets S at
maximum can be stacked on the upper delivery table 93.
[0116] (4-5) Shift Processing:
[0117] When this convey mode is set, the switching gate G1 retreats
upward, and the switching gate G2 closes and opens the third and
second convey paths F3 and F2, respectively, to enable passing of
the sheet S. The sheet S passes between the switching gates G1 and
G2.
[0118] The sheet S delivered from the first postprocessing
apparatus B, the insert paper J fed from the first feeder 51, or
the cover paper K fed from the second feeder 52 passes through the
intermediate sheet path between the switching gates G1 and G2, is
shifted by the shift means 90 in a direction perpendicular to the
sheet convey direction, and is conveyed by convey rollers 901.
[0119] The shift means 90 performs the shift process of changing
the delivery position of the sheet S in the convey width direction
every time a predetermined number of sheets are delivered. The
shift-processed sheets S are delivered by the delivery means 91 to
the vertically movable delivery table 92 outside the apparatus and
are sequentially stacked on it. When a large number of sheets S are
to be delivered, the vertically movable delivery table 92 gradually
moves down. The vertically movable delivery table 92 can store
about 3,000 (A4 or B5) sheets S at maximum.
[0120] (4-6) Stitching Process:
[0121] When the stitching process or folding process is set by the
operating portion 9 of the image forming apparatus A, the sheet S,
on which an image has been formed in the image forming apparatus A
and which is sent to the inlet 50 of the second postprocessing
apparatus C through the first postprocessing apparatus B, passes
through the second punching means 60 and is sent to the third
convey path F3 below the switching gate G2. The sheet S is then
conveyed as it is clamped by convey rollers 701 and 704, and is
stopped when its leading end abuts against a portion in the
vicinity of the clamping position of registration rollers 705.
Hence, the leading end of the sheet S is aligned.
[0122] As shown in FIG. 7, when a sheet S with a size larger than
A4 or B5 is to be conveyed along the third convey path F3, a
solenoid SD3 is driven, so the sheet S passes through a sheet path
713A on the left side of the switching gate G3 in FIG. 7, and is
conveyed downward as it is clamped by the convey rollers 704. The
sheet S is then clamped and fed by the registration rollers 705 on
the further downstream side, and is delivered to a space above an
intermediate stacker (frame) 71 which is arranged inclinedly. The
sheet S comes into contact with the intermediate stacker 71 or the
upper surface of the sheets S stacked on the intermediate stacker
71, and is conveyed obliquely upward. After the trailing end of the
sheet S in the traveling direction is delivered from the clamping
position of the convey rollers 704, the sheet S starts to move
downward due to its own weight. The sheet S is conveyed on the
inclined surface of the intermediate stacker 71, and is stopped
when its trailing end abuts against the sheet abutting surface of
an end stitching movable stopper member (to be referred to as an
end stitching stopper hereinafter) 72 in the vicinity of the
stitching means (staple means) 70.
[0123] A movable switching gate G3 and a sheet path 713B which is
parallel to the sheet path 713A on the left side of the e switching
gate G3 in FIG. 7 are provided to the third convey path F3, so
small-size sheets S such as A4 or B5 sheets are conveyed
efficiently continuously, thus improving the copying
productivity.
[0124] When the solenoid SD3 connected to the switching gate G3 is
driven, the sheet path 713A is closed while the sheet path 713B is
opened.
[0125] The leading end of a first small-size sheet S sent from the
convey rollers 701 passes through the sheet path 713B and is
stopped when it abuts against the outer surfaces of the
registration rollers 705 which are in the stop state.
[0126] Then, power supply to the solenoid SD3 is turned off. The
leading end of the switching gate G3 swings clockwise to close and
open the sheet paths 713B and 713A, respectively. The leading end
of a second sheet S sent from the convey rollers 701 passes through
the sheet path 713A and is stopped when it abuts against the outer
surfaces of the registration rollers 705 which are in the stop
state. Accordingly, in the vicinity of the clamping position of the
registration rollers 705, the first and second sheets S are stopped
with their leading ends being in the overlapping state, so the
sheets S are set in the wait state.
[0127] The registration rollers 705 are rotatably driven at a
predetermined timing, to clamp and convey the two sheets S
simultaneously, thus delivering them onto the intermediate stacker
71. From the third sheet, the convey rollers 701 deliver sheets S
one by one.
[0128] Reference numeral 73 denotes a pair of width aligning
members movably formed on the two side surfaces of the intermediate
stacker 71. The width aligning members 73 can move in a direction
perpendicular to the sheet convey direction. In the sheet accepting
mode wherein the sheet S is to be conveyed onto the intermediate
stacker 71, the width aligning members 73 are opened wider than the
sheet width. When the sheet S is conveyed on the intermediate
stacker 71 and abuts against the end stitching stopper 72 so it is
stopped there, the width aligning members 73 lightly strike the
sides in the widthwise direction of the sheet S to jog the width of
a bundle Sa of sheets (width alignment). At this stop position,
when a predetermined number of sheets S are stacked and aligned on
the intermediate stacker 71, the stitching means 70 performs
switching, so the bundle Sa of sheets is bound together.
[0129] A notch is formed in part of the sheet stacking surface of
the intermediate stacker 71, and a plurality of delivery belts 74C
wound on a driving pulley 74A and driven pulley 74B are rotatably
driven. A delivery pawl 74D is integrally formed on part of each
delivery belt 74C, and its distal end forms an elliptic trace, as
indicated by an alternate long and short dashed line in FIG. 7. The
stitched bundle Sa of sheets is placed on the delivery belts 74C as
the trailing ends of the sheets S are held by the delivery pawls
74D of the delivery belts 74C. The sheets S slide on the placing
surface of the intermediate stacker 71 and are pushed obliquely
upward to travel to the clamping position of delivery rollers 91A
and 91B of the delivery means 91. The bundle Sa of sheets clamped
by the rotating delivery roller 91B is delivered onto the
vertically movable delivery table 92 and stacked there.
[0130] FIG. 8A is a plan view showing a side stitching process of
stitching a sheet S with staples SP at its two portions divided at
the center, which are in the vicinity of the side end, and FIG. 8B
is a plan view showing an end stitching process of stitching a
sheet S with a staple SP at its one portion which is in the
vicinity of the corner.
[0131] (4-7) Saddle Stitching Process:
[0132] As shown in FIG. 7, the intermediate stacker 71 for placing
the bundle Sa of sheets thereon, the stitching means 70, and the
second folding means 80 are arranged on the frame of a stitching
unit 100, and are introduced by guide rails R1 and R2, so they can
be withdrawn to the front side of the second postprocessing
apparatus C.
[0133] The stitching means 70 is arranged on each side of a
direction perpendicular to the sheet convey direction, and can be
moved by a driving means (not shown) in the direction perpendicular
to the sheet convey direction. These stitching means 70 bind the
sheet S with the staples SP at its two portions divided at the
center in the widthwise direction of the sheet (see FIG. 8A).
[0134] The stitching means 70 are swingably, rotatably supported,
and stitch the sheet S with a staple SP at its corner in accordance
with the sheet size (see FIG. 8B).
[0135] When the saddle stitching mode is set, the end stitching
stopper 72 in the vicinity of the stitching positions (stapling
positions of the staples) of the stitching means 70 retreats from
the convey path. Almost simultaneously, a
saddle-stitching/center-folding movable stopper member (to be
referred to as a saddle-stitching center-folding stopper
hereinafter) 75 downstream of the end stitching stopper 72 moves
toward the extension surface of a sheet path 76, to close a sheet
path 77.
[0136] When the sizes (lengths in the convey direction) of the
cover paper K and sheets S are set or detected, a saddle-stitching
stopper unit having the saddle-stitching center-folding stopper 75
moves to a position where it abuts against the lower end of the
bundle Sa of sheets to be saddle-stitched, and is stopped.
[0137] After the cover paper K is placed at a predetermined stop
position on the intermediate stacker 71, the sheets S unloaded from
the image forming apparatus A pass through the third convey path F3
from the inlet 50 of the second postprocessing apparatus C and are
sequentially stacked on the upper surface of the cover paper K
placed on the intermediate stacker 71. The leading ends of the
sheets S abut against the saddle-stitching center-folding stopper
75, so the sheets S are positioned.
[0138] After the last sheet S is positioned and placed on the
intermediate stacker 71, the bundle Sa of sheets comprised of the
cover paper K and all pages of the sheets S are saddle-stitched by
the stitching means 70. By means of the saddle stitching process,
the cover paper K and sheets S are bound with the staple SP at
their centers in the convey direction. The staple SP is inserted by
a stapling mechanism 70A on the staple driving side toward a wire
receiving mechanism on the staple clinch side.
[0139] (4-8) Process of Folding in Two:
[0140] The process of folding in two will be described with
reference to FIGS. 9 to 12D.
[0141] After the saddle stitching process, the saddle-stitching
center-folding stopper 75 linearly moves toward the downstream in
the convey direction of the bundle Sa of sheets to open the
downstream path of the sheet path 76. The movable saddle-stitching
center-folding stopper 75 regulates the stop position of the bundle
Sa of sheets in the saddle stitching process at the upper position,
and regulates the stop position of the bundle Sa of sheets in the
center folding process at the lower position.
[0142] The bundle Sa of sheets comprised of the saddle-stitched
cover paper K and sheets S is conveyed as it is guided obliquely
downward by a guide plate (frame) 81. The end of the bundle Sa of
sheets in the convey direction abuts against the saddle-stitching
center-folding stopper 75, so the bundle Sa of sheets is stopped at
a predetermined position. The saddle-stitching center-folding
stopper 75 can be moved to the predetermined position in accordance
with the sheet size setting operation or detection result and by a
driving means.
[0143] The sheet paths of the upstream intermediate stacker 71 and
of the downstream guide plate 81, which form the sheet convey path
of the stitching unit 100, form substantially one flat plane with a
sharp inclination of 10.degree. to 30.degree..
[0144] A projecting plate 82 of the folding means 80 is set at the
center of the stopped bundle Sa of sheets in the convey direction,
i.e., on the right side in FIG. 9 of the center folding position. A
pair of first folding rollers 83 and 84 are set on the left side in
FIG. 9 of the center folding position. The surfaces of the first
folding rollers 83 and 84 are made of a material with a high
frictional resistance e.g., rubber.
[0145] The folding means 80 is formed of the projecting plate 82,
the first folding rollers 83 and 84, a delivery means, and the
like.
[0146] FIGS. 10A to 10C are sectional views showing the steps in
the two-fold process of the folding means 80. FIG. 10A shows a
state wherein the projecting plate 82 pushes the bundle Sa of
sheets so it presses against the first folding rollers 83 and 84.
FIG. 10B shows a state wherein the projecting plate 82 enters a
position across the clamping position of the first folding rollers
83 and 84 to fold the bundle Sa of sheets in two. FIG. 10C shows a
state wherein the projecting plate 82 retreats from the clamping
position of the first folding rollers 83 and 84 so as to be
returned to the initial position, and the bundle Sa of sheets
folded in two is delivered by the first folding rollers 83 and
84.
[0147] Upon reception of a two-fold process start signal, the
projecting plate 82 connected to a driving source projects to the
left in FIG. 10A through the sheet placing surface. The projecting
plate 82 forms a thin knife-like shape and has a sharp distal
end.
[0148] The distal end of the projecting plate 82 which has linearly
moved and projected to the left in FIG. 10A pushes in the center of
the bundle Sa of sheets comprised of the cover paper K and sheets S
and widens the clamping portion of the first folding rollers 83 and
84 which is rotatably driven through the bundle Sa of sheets, so
the first folding rollers 83 and 84 are separated apart.
[0149] After the distal end of the projecting plate 82 passes
through the clamping portion of the first folding rollers 83 and
84, it is moved backward, and the center of the bundle Sa of sheets
is clamped by the first folding rollers 83 and 84, to form a fold.
This fold substantially corresponds to the stitching position of
the bundle Sa of sheets with the staple SP by the saddle stitching
process.
[0150] The first folding rollers 83 and 84 are formed of a pair of
left and right pressing means which are substantially symmetric.
One pressing means is formed of the first folding roller 84
connected to the driving source and driven by it, a support plate
832 for rotatably supporting the first folding roller 84 and
swingable about a support shaft 831 as the center, and a spring 833
locked at one end of the support plate 832 and biasing the first
folding roller 84 toward the clamping position. The first folding
roller 83 is substantially symmetric with the first folding roller
84, and is formed of a support shaft 841, support plate 842, and
spring 843.
[0151] The bundle Sa of sheets, which is clamped to form a fold, is
unloaded along the guide member by the pair of rotatably driven
first folding rollers 83 and 84, and is placed on the stationary
delivery table 94 outside the apparatus.
[0152] FIG. 11 is a schematic view showing the convey path of cover
paper K and of sheets S, the process of saddle-stitching the bundle
Sa of sheets, and the process of folding it in two. FIG. 12A is a
plan view showing the saddle stitching process of stitching the
sheets S with staples SP at its two portions divided at the center
along the fold formed by folding in two, FIG. 12B is a perspective
view of a booklet Sb postprocessed by saddle stitching and folding
in two, FIG. 12C is a perspective view showing a state wherein the
postprocessed booklet Sb is opened apart, and FIG. 12D is a
schematic sectional view of the booklet Sb.
[0153] The cover paper K is placed on the feeder table of the
second feeder 52 with its first surface (pages 1 and 8) being on
the upper side. The cover paper K fed from the second feeder 52 by
the feeding means is conveyed through the second punching means 60
and third convey path F3, and is placed on the intermediate stacker
71 with its first surface (pages 1 and 8) being on the lower
side.
[0154] An image-bearing sheet S is introduced to a postprocessing
apparatus FS with its first surface (pages 3 and 6) being on the
lower side. The sheet S is conveyed from the inlet 50 to the third
convey path F3 through the second punching means 60, and is placed
on the cover paper K placed on the intermediate stacker 71, with
its first surface being on the lower side.
[0155] The cover paper K and sheet S are aligned on the
intermediate stacker 71 and are bound with the staples SP by the
stitching means 70, so they are saddle-stitched.
[0156] The bundle of saddle-stitched sheets is placed such that the
first surface (pages 3 and 6) of the sheet S is on the upper side
and that the first surface (pages 1 and 8) of the cover paper K on
the sheet S is on the upper side.
[0157] The process of folding in two is performed by the pushup
operation of the projecting plate 82 and the rotatable driving
operation of the first folding rollers 83 and 84, and the bundle of
sheets is conveyed and delivered onto the stationary delivery table
94 outside the apparatus.
[0158] In the booklet Sb formed by the process of saddle stitching
and the process of folding in two, the first surface (pages 1 and
8) of the cover paper K faces outwardly, the second surface (pages
2 and 7) of the cover paper K is arranged on the lower side of the
first page (pages 1 and 8), the first surface (pages 3 and 6) of
the sheet S as the content is arranged inside the second page
(pages 2 and 7) , and the second surface (pages 4 and 5) of the
sheets S is arranged inside the first surface (pages 3 and 6).
Thus, the pages of the booklet Sb formed of 8 pages (pages 1 to 8)
can be aligned as shown in FIGS. 12A to 12D.
[0159] At the operating portion 9 of the image forming apparatus A,
assume that the auto booklet formation mode is selected and set,
that cover paper K is stacked on the second feeder 52, and that
printing is started. The image forming process described above is
performed by the controller of the image forming apparatus A. The
sheet S with an image is saddle-stitched and folded in two by the
second postprocessing apparatus C. Hence, booklets Sb are formed
and delivered continuously.
[0160] At the operating portion of the postprocessing apparatus FS,
assume that the manual booklet formation mode is selected and set,
that cover paper K and sheets S for one booklet, on which images
are formed by another image forming means, are stacked on the
second feeder 52, and that the feedout operation is started. The
cover paper K and sheets S are saddle-stitched and folded in two by
the controller of the second postprocessing apparatus C. Hence, one
booklet Sb is formed and delivered.
[0161] In this embodiment, the folding means 80 is arranged along a
sheet path having the same inclination as that of the intermediate
stacker 71 which forms the stitching means 70.
[0162] (4-9) Process of Folding in Three:
[0163] The folding means 80 shown in FIG. 9 can perform two modes,
i.e., the process of folding in two and the process of folding in
three. The folding means 80 has a first folding means for folding
the bundle Sa of sheets in two, and a second folding means for
folding the bundle Sa of sheets in three.
[0164] The first folding means is formed of the first folding
rollers 83 and 84 and the projecting plate 82. The second folding
means is formed of a second folding roller 85, a convey belt 86, a
convey switching member 87, guide plates 88, and a sheet leading
end stopping member 89.
[0165] The position of the sheet leading end stopping member 89 is
set such that the sheet convey distance from the clamping position
of the first folding rollers 83 and 84 to the sheet abutting
surface of the sheet leading end stopping member 89 is one third
the length of the sheet S in the convey direction.
[0166] The first and second folding rollers 84 and 85 are rotatably
supported by the support plate 832 and are connected to a driving
means (not shown). The convey belt 86 is wound around the outer
surfaces of the first and second folding rollers 83 and 85 and that
of a tension roller 861.
[0167] FIG. 13A is a plan view of a sheet S to be folded in three,
and FIG. 13B is a perspective view of the sheet S folded in three.
The sheet S is folded into three surfaces A, B, and C, at folding
lines a and b that almost equally divide in three the length in the
longitudinal direction of the sheet S. The sheet S to be folded in
three is first folded at the folding line a and then folded
inwardly at the folding line b.
[0168] FIG. 13C is a perspective view of a sheet S folded in three
to have a Z shape. The sheet S to be folded in three is first
folded at a folding line b and then folded outwardly at a folding
line a.
[0169] The process of folding in three can fold a small number of
sheets, e.g., about three sheets S, simultaneously. The sheets S
folded in three can be further folded into a small size so they can
be put in the envelope of ordinary mail.
[0170] FIGS. 14 to 18 are sectional views showing the steps in the
three-fold process. With the process of folding in three, inward
folding shown in FIG. 13B is performed. When folding in three into
a Z shape is to be performed, the position of the saddle-stitching
center-folding stopper 75 is altered, so the fold b is formed by
the first folding rollers 83 and 84.
[0171] (a) In FIG. 14, the sheet S is fed to inside the guide plate
81. As shown in FIG. 9, the leading end of the sheet S abuts
against the saddle-stitching center-folding stopper 75 which is
position-adjusted in accordance with the size of the sheet S, so
the sheet S is stopped. The stop position of the sheet S is where a
fold a with which the sheet S is folded in three coincides with the
position of the distal end of the projecting plate 82.
[0172] (b) As shown in FIG. 15, the distal end of the projecting
plate 82 presses the fold a formed on the sheet S to insert it into
the clamping position of the first folding rollers 83 and 84. The
first folding rollers 83 and 84 are driven to rotate in directions
indicated by solid arrows to clamp the sheet S while forming the
fold a on the sheet S. At this time, the convey switching member 87
is stopped at that position where it opens the sheet path of the
guide plates 88. After the first folding rollers 83 and 84 form the
fold a, the projecting plate 82 retreats from the clamping position
and returns to the initial position.
[0173] (c) As shown in FIG. 16, the sheet S on which the fold a is
formed between the first folding rollers 83 and 84 is conveyed by
the rotatably driven first folding rollers 83 and 84 in the
direction indicated by a solid arrow and passes through the pair of
opposing guide plates 88, so its fold a abuts against the sheet
leading end stopping member 89.
[0174] (d) As shown in FIG. 17, when the first folding rollers 83
and 84 are successively rotated, the fold a of the sheet S abuts
against the sheet leading end stopping member 89, so the sheet S
stops traveling. That trailing-end portion of the sheet S which is
1/3 the length is caught by the outer surface of the first folding
roller 84 having a large frictional resistance and is conveyed to
the clamping position where the first and second folding rollers 84
and 85 press against each other, so a fold b is formed on the sheet
S.
[0175] (e) As shown in FIG. 18, the folds a and b are formed on the
sheet S at the clamping position of the first and second folding
rollers 83 and 85, and the leading and trailing ends of the sheet S
are folded back, so the sheet S is fold into three. The sheet S is
then conveyed as it is clamped by the first and second folding
rollers 83 and 85, tension roller 861, and convey belt 86, and is
placed on the stationary delivery table 92 outside the
apparatus.
[0176] FIG. 19 is a sectional view showing a folding means 80
according to another embodiment. Regarding reference numerals used
in FIG. 19, portions having the same function as the three-fold
function shown in FIGS. 14 to 18 are denoted by the same reference
numerals as in FIGS. 14 to 18. Portions that are different from the
above embodiment will be described.
[0177] A folding means 80 can perform two modes, i.e. the two-fold
process and the three-fold process. The folding means 80 has a
first folding means for folding a bundle Sa of sheets in two and a
second folding means for folding a bundle Sa of sheets in
three.
[0178] The folding means is formed of first and second folding
rollers 83 and 84 and a projecting plate 82. The second folding
means is formed of a second folding roller 85, clamping roller 801,
and guide plate 802. The second folding roller 85 is biased by a
spring (not shown) and is pressed against by the first folding
roller 83. The clamping roller 801 is rotatably supported at one
end of a support member 803. The other end of the support member
803 is swingably supported by a pivot shaft 804. The support member
803 is biased by a spring (not shown) to press the clamping roller
801 against the second folding roller 85.
[0179] The folding means 80 shown in FIG. 19 is different from that
of the embodiment shown in FIG. 18 in that it has the clamping
roller 801 and guide plate 802 in place of the convey belt 86. The
guide plate 802 guides the sheet S folded in three to the clamping
position of the clamping roller 801 and second folding roller 85.
The clamping roller 801 presses the sheet S folded in three at the
clamping position with the second folding roller 85, to reliably
fortify its folds a and b. The folding means 80 of this type is
effective in that it does not form wrinkles on the sheet S.
[0180] (4-10) Control of Sheet Postprocessing:
[0181] When the sheet S delivered from the image forming apparatus
A is sent into the first postprocessing apparatus B and its leading
end is detected by the sensor PS1 in the vicinity of the inlet 10,
rotation of the registration rollers 31A and 31B is stopped. The
leading end of the sheet S entering the inlet 10 abuts against the
clamping position of the stopped registration rollers 31A and 31B,
and is adjusted.
[0182] When the registration rollers 31A and 31B resume rotatable
driving, the sheet S is clamped and conveyed by the registration
rollers 31A and 31B and intermediate convey rollers 33A and 33B,
and the first fold c is formed on the sheet S by the first folding
rollers 35A and 35B. After that, the second fold d is formed by the
first and second folding rollers 35B and 35C.
[0183] In the sheet convey process before formation of the first
fold c, the sheet S is clamped by the registration rollers 31A and
31B and intermediate convey rollers 33A and 33B. Hence, the sheet S
is not skew but is held aligned. When the trailing end of the
aligned sheet S passes through the sensor PS1, it is detected by
the sensor PS1. Upon a lapse of a predetermined period of time
since generation of the detection signal of the sensor PS1, sheet
convey is temporarily stopped. The sheet S in the stop state is
punched at a portion in the vicinity of its trailing end by the
first punching means 20.
[0184] The sheet S which is punched by the first punching means 20
and folded into a Z shape by the first holding means 30 is
delivered by the delivery means 40.
[0185] The sheet S, which is punched and/or folded into a Z shape
and delivered from the first postprocessing apparatus B, is
introduced to the second postprocessing apparatus C, passes through
the first convey path F1, and is stored in the upper delivery table
93. Alternatively, the sheet S, which is punched and/or folded into
a Z shape and introduced to the second postprocessing apparatus C,
passes through the second convey path F2, and is stored in the
vertically movable delivery table 92. Alternatively, the sheet S,
which is punched and/or folded into a Z shape and introduced to the
second postprocessing apparatus C, is shifted by the shift means 90
of the second convey path F2 in a direction perpendicular to the
convey direction, is sorted or grouped, and is stored in the
vertically movable delivery table 92.
[0186] A sheet S which is not to be folded into a Z shape is sent
from the image forming apparatus A and loaded in the second
postprocessing apparatus C through the first postprocessing
apparatus B. At the second postprocessing apparatus C, the sheet S
can be punched by the second punching means 60. The second punching
means 60 can also selectively punch the insert paper J fed from the
first feeder 51 and the cover paper K fed from the second feeder
52. The leading ends of the sheet S, insert paper J, and cover
paper K introduced to the second punching means 60 abut against the
clamping position of the registration rollers 65, and are aligned.
The sheet S, insert paper J, and cover paper K, the distal ends of
which are aligned, are punched by the second punching means 60.
[0187] The insert paper J and cover paper K corresponding to the
sheet S punched and folded by the first postprocessing apparatus B
are punched by the second punching means 60, and are delivered to
be stacked together with the sheet S.
[0188] FIG. 20 shows the overall arrangement of an image forming
system according to another embodiment, which is comprised of an
image forming apparatus A, first postprocessing apparatus B, second
postprocessing apparatus C, and image reading apparatus D.
[0189] Regarding the reference numerals used in FIG. 20, portions
having the same functions as those of FIG. 1 are denoted by the
same reference numerals as in FIG. 1. Portions that are different
from the above embodiment will be described.
[0190] The first postprocessing apparatus B is comprised of a first
punching means 20 for punching a sheet S delivered from the image
forming apparatus A at a predetermined position, a first holding
means 30 for folding the punched sheet S, and first and second
feeders 51 and 52 for storing sheets other than the sheet S, e.g.,
sheets other than insert paper J, cover paper K, or the sheet S
stored in the image forming apparatus A, and feeding them to the
first punching means 20.
[0191] The second postprocessing apparatus C is comprised of a
shift means 90 for introducing and conveying the sheet S, insert
paper J, cover paper K, or the like which are punched and folded by
the first postprocessing apparatus B, a delivery means 91, a
vertically movable delivery table 92 for storing the delivered
sheets or the like, an upper delivery table 93, a stitching means
70 for stitching the sheet S, insert paper J, cover paper K, and
the like delivered from the first postprocessing apparatus B, and a
second folding means 80 for folding the sheet S, cover paper K, and
insert paper J.
[0192] The sheet S, insert paper J, cover paper K, and the like
sent to the first punching means 20 of the first postprocessing
apparatus B are aligned at their distal ends before they are
postprocessed by stitching or folding in the second postprocessing
apparatus C, and are punched. The sheet S, the distal end of which
is kept aligned, is punched by the first punching means 20 at its
portion in the vicinity of the trailing end. Thus, the punching
position precision is improved.
[0193] The first postprocessing apparatus B according to the
present invention has been described concerning folding into a Z
shape and folding in two. The present invention can also be applied
to other sheet folding processes.
* * * * *